Merger a bone of contention

Maroochy mayor Joe Natoli is out of step with at least two federal senators.

And their bone of contention?

Whether or not all three Coast councils should amalgamate.

While mayor Natoli has been a vocal supporter of a coast super council, visiting Liberal senators Ian McDonald, pictured, and Sue Boyce think Noosa should continue to stand alone, independent from Caloundra and Maroochy.

Senator Boyce, for one, was wearing her heart on her sleeve yesterday.

“I was just wearing an anti-amalgamation shirt in Noosa,” she said before meeting with the Maroochy mayor.

“But don’t tell Joe.”

After a visit to Noosa to see mayor Bob Abbott, the two senators discussed some of the Coast’s hottest topics, including whether a coast super council was appropriate, with Mr Natoli during a brief meeting at council chambers yesterday.

“There seem to be synergies between Maroochy and Caloundra that, quite frankly, don’t seem to be there with Noosa,” Senator McDonald said.

His colleague, Senator Boyce, agreed and added that while it was “logical to see Maroochy and Caloundra as having a common interest, that didn’t seem to be the same for Noosa.”

They said that while it made sense to amalgamate councils in some regional areas, it was not the case for the Sunshine Coast.

“You end up with a situation where you have shires as big as Victoria,” Senator Boyce said.

“So how do you have a sense of community?”

They also briefly touched on the Traveston Dam issue during the visit.

Both senators insisted that the project would not fulfil the water needs of south-east Queensland.